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The “Karate Kid” film franchise has a slew of iconic villains. In the first film, John Kreese (Martin Kove) encourages his Cobra Kai students to fight without honor, putting Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) in harm’s way. The second film, which takes place in Okinawa, Japan, finds Daniel facing off the violent Chozen Toguchi (Yuji Don Okumoto). Finally, in “The Karate Kid Part III,” the New Jersey native is up against an even worst threat — a businessman by the name of Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), who is intensely loyal to Kreese.
Thomas Ian Griffith Talked About Working With Ralph Macchio on ‘Cobra Kai’
Silver will likely be causing issues for Daniel once again in the show’s upcoming season, which will debut in December 2021. During a July 2021 interview on the “Cobra Kai Kompanion” podcast, Thomas Ian Griffith discussed reuniting with Macchio during the production of “Cobra Kai” season 4. He explained that he had not interacted with his co-star since “The Karate Kid Part III” debuted in 1989.
“Cut to, you know, 30 years later, when I had walked on set because I hadn’t seen Ralph, our paths hadn’t crossed in all those years, just to see him on set of ‘Cobra Kai,’ it was just so bizarre,” said the actor. “We were like looking at each other smiling and you know, you get this feeling that you go, ‘ah this was a good experience with this person.’ I don’t remember a lot but I remember this is a really positive thing and that’s — I walked away saying, ‘I’m happy I’m here.’”
Griffith went on to say that Macchio is “a great guy.” In the “Cobra Kai Kompanion” interview, the actor also acknowledged that he and Macchio are both 59-years-old, even though his character, who served in Vietnam, is much older than Daniel.
“I remember us saying we were the same age and that we were playing opposite ends of the spectrum and I’m going I’m not — I’m too young to have been in Vietnam but then it’s like just go with it, you know, I’m 6’4″ and you know what, you just commit to it and it’s like they’ll figure that out. They are going to buy this character or they aren’t,” said the actor.
Thomas Ian Griffith Discussed His Character in December 2020
While Griffith shared that he and Macchio were not in contact following the release of “The Karate Kid Part III,” they both appeared on “The Karate Kid x Cobra Kai” reunion for Netflix in December 2020, about a month before season 4 started filming. During the reunion, Griffith briefly spoke about his character, who is known for acting outlandishly. He also explained that he secured the role after meeting with the film’s director, John Avildsen.
“I was fortunate enough to meet John Avildsen. I had just come out from New York, and it was the first film I was ever a part of. You know, every step of the way, I’m going ‘Is this a little big’ and John’s going, ‘No I want every little kid kicking you in the shins when this comes out,’ and you know, he got it,” said Griffith.
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